Fes Things to Do Tips by kit_mc

Nejjarine Museum

This is a museum of wooden arts and crafts, which may not sound that interesting but I was quite impressed by this place. It was completely renovated not so long ago, along with the square in which it's situated.

Over three floors, you'll find examples of religious wooden crafts such as prayer tablets and items from mosques, cabinets and other household furniture and various odds and ends. My favourite was a wooden peg leg! Unfortunately for me, all the descriptions are in French and Arabic, so some of the items I still had no idea what they were. The building itself, a restored caravanserai, is impressive and the standard of display good. That said, to be really enthused you'd have to be really into wood.

Other things that make this place pretty special are the roof top cafe with great views over the Medina and of the surrounding mountains and the toilets. The toilets here are spotless and worth the 20 dh entry fee alone!! Open until daily 10am to 5pm.

Only negative point was that the dark alley on the way here, the hustlers were fairly persistent.

Directions: Ticked away in the heart of the Medina, take the last, sharp turn to the right and down some steps, just before Talaa Seghira meets Talaa Kebira. Follow the dark lane into the open courtyward of Place an-Nejjarine.

Merenid Tombs

The tombs of the Merenid Sultans of the 14th Century are high up above the north of the city. While the tombs themselves are in ruins, they make a nice spot to take in the vista over the Medina. I know very little about these ruins and can't seem to find much information about when they were built or for whom.

While they are in a very bad state, crumbling to bits really, you can look closely and see the remains of some of the detailed carvings. And of course it's all free.

In fairness though, seeing as it's a bit of a hike, if you're low on time and don't want to take a taxi, you could settle for a view the Merenid Tombs from a distance on one of the terraces in the Medina such as the Nejjarine Museum. Also, while you get a bird's eye view of the Medina, it's the panorama of the surrounding mountains that were the feature for me.

This area tends to be fairly deserted and I can't imagine that it's a good place to be after dark. When I was there, there were maybe a couple of other tourists and a Berber with his sheep trying to, unsuccessfully, sell me a rug. He was pleasant enough, and while persistent, he was much less hassle than I experienced in other places.

Directions: Take a Petit Taxi or be prepared for a 20 minute walk uphill passing Borj Nord military museum on the way.

Dar Batha Museum

The Dar Batha museum is in what used to be a palace in the Andaluz-Moorish style, with the museum galleries located at either end of a large enclosed garden. Located just outside the Medina near Place l'Istiqlal I was impressed by the standard of the museum, although disappointed to find that seemingly only half of it was open. Staff coule be seen larking around when they weren't keeping a slightly suspicious eye on us.

As with the other museums I saw in Morocco, most of the text is in French and Arabic which can make actually working out what some of the items are that little more difficult. There's a mixture of stuff in here, from ceramics to local traditional dress, all very well displayed. Particularly good are some huge Berber carpets in a rather grand hall space. Also nice is a beautifully tiled small courtyard in a corner of the building complete with fountain (sans water while I was there). While it is a museum worth visiting, I'd still say that this is talked up a bit by the guidebooks, although perhaps I didn't see the whole collection.

We had the whole place to ourselves, perhaps all the other tourists were lost in the Medina. On a fine day, if you had time to spare, the garden courtyard might be a nice place to escape the hustle and hassles of the outside world, however the garden was looking a little bit tired, as if it had seen better days when I visited in the autumn.

Entry is well worth the 10 dh cost. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday 8.30 to 18.00.

Address: Place de l'Istiqlal, Fes el-Basi

Directions: Up the side street beside Hotel Batha just outside the Medina walls.